Domain Name Registration Learn how to get your own personal URL

A viewer named Jason from Indianapolis, Indiana, sent us this email question:

"Do you have any suggestions on purchasing a Web address at a reasonable price? There are so many options."

Need to purchase that fab new domain name, "www.mybrilliantsoontomakemerichwebweasel.tv"? There are several ways to register your domain name.

Check your name
First, you need to see if your domain has already been registered. If so, you're going to have to think of a different name. You can check by visiting Whois.net, or any other domain registration service (they usually can perform checks for you).

We also recommend using WhoIs Ultra from Analog X. Not only does WhoIs Ultra check for name registration, it also can perform domain name combinations, domains in foreign countries, and a lot more.

Get it registered
Once you've confirmed that your name hasn't been taken already, you can register it. Registration isn't permanent; you sign up for your domain annually. Some registrars let you sign up for multiple years at a time.

You could register the old-school way and pay VeriSign. Tom Merritt, our executive Web producer has a cheaper, better way: Go Daddy. Silly name, yes, but super-cheap domain name registrations. You pay a mere $8.95 for a year. How's that for a reasonable price?

Other registration sites recommended by our staff include RegisterFly and Dotster. You can visit InterNic for a listing of registrars.

Keep it registered
Keep track of your registration fees. You have to renew on a regular basis; how often you have to renew depends on how many years you've paid for. If you don't renew, you run the risk of losing your domain name to someone else.

Registration renewal is also used by Web hosts and registrars to swindle you out of your money. For example, VeriSign once sent official-looking renewal notices to Go Daddy customers in the mail. The notices are clear that they are not from Go Daddy, and they encourage you to renew at VeriSign's price, which is much higher than Go Daddy's.


source http://www.g4techtv.com/